Quantum Complexity in Nuclear Scattering and Fission Dynamics
Abstract
Quantum computers promise advantages for simulating strongly correlated quantum many-body systems, like atomic nuclei, that are beyond the reach of classical computers. Realizing this potential requires understanding the quantum complexity structure of the target problem. We investigate the time-evolution of two key indicators of quantum complexity, bipartite entanglement entropy and non-local magic (non-stabilizerness), in nuclear reaction dynamics. We analyze two representative dynamical processes: scattering in a one-dimensional model of strongly interacting fermions governed by the Negele potential, and a realistic simulation of 240Pu fission within time-dependent Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov (TDHFB) theory. In the former case, we find that interactions dynamically generate both entanglement and non-local magic, leaving persistent signatures of quantum complexity in the outgoing states. In the latter, we observe that substantial quantum complexity survives in the spatial bipartition of daughter fragments well beyond scission. The presence of significant non-local magic and entanglement in both cases strongly indicate that quantum computers would provide substantial advantages for accurately simulating nuclear reaction dynamics.
Related
- Ancilla-recycled RODEO filtering for nuclear scattering: A cross-platform benchmark on quantum processors
- Nuclear scattering phase shifts with factorized geometric-time RODEO on a quantum processor
- Temporal complexity hierarchies in solvable quantum many-body dynamics
- Nuclear fission: from fundamentals to frontiers
- Sensitivity of fission barrier heights to nuclear matter properties
BibTeX
@misc{kadam2026quantum,
title = {{Quantum Complexity in Nuclear Scattering and Fission Dynamics}},
author = {Saurabh V. Kadam and Antonio Bjelčić and Nicolas Schunck and Kyle Wendt},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.03240},
eprint = {2609.03240},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.03240},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Quantum Complexity in Nuclear Scattering and Fission Dynamics
AU - Saurabh V. Kadam
AU - Antonio Bjelčić
AU - Nicolas Schunck
AU - Kyle Wendt
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/03
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.03240
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.03240
AB - Quantum computers promise advantages for simulating strongly correlated quantum many-body systems, like atomic nuclei, that are beyond the reach of classical computers. Realizing this potential requires understanding the quantum complexity structure of the target problem. We investigate the time-evolution of two key indicators of quantum complexity, bipartite entanglement entropy and non-local magic (non-stabilizerness), in nuclear reaction dynamics. We analyze two representative dynamical processes: scattering in a one-dimensional model of strongly interacting fermions governed by the Negele potential, and a realistic simulation of ^240Pu fission within time-dependent Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov (TDHFB) theory. In the former case, we find that interactions dynamically generate both entanglement and non-local magic, leaving persistent signatures of quantum complexity in the outgoing states. In the latter, we observe that substantial quantum complexity survives in the spatial bipartition of daughter fragments well beyond scission. The presence of significant non-local magic and entanglement in both cases strongly indicate that quantum computers would provide substantial advantages for accurately simulating nuclear reaction dynamics.
ER -